Media, Ratings, and More: The Blogs Continue To Be Crazy!

[trow125]

wouldn't have watchers bitching about him "talking too much."

You must not have seen his five-minute "Back to the Future"/Illuminati rant on Wednesday night's show...

[Skyfall]

You must not have seen his five-minute "Back to the Future"/Illuminati rant on Wednesday night's show...

That's actually what I was referencing. He could do that on TDS and not have watchers bitching that he's talking too much.

[Victor the Crab]

I have to think CC knew going in that the ratings for TDS under Trevor were going to be less than what they were under Jon. Trevor's replacing someone huge who had a cultural impact on America. That's difficult enough for someone filling in the host's seat who came from another part of the world.

 

Besides, Trevor's been the host for only four weeks now. Not enough time to judge how he's doing in that role. If in a year the rating don't pick up, or start to decline, then we might have concern for Trevor.

 

Larry, on the other hand, I might start to get concerned with.

[Hanahope]

I think a better comparison would be to when TCR first started and same with TDS, or at least immediately after JS started hosting.  I would expect it took both shows some time to develop the large audience they ended with.  Frankly, even if the numbers never quite get to the heights of their predecessors, I love how we are getting a different perspective with the different hosts, one that you don't get in nearly all the other late night shows.

[trow125]

Ratings went down again, to 720,000 total viewers (from 770,000 last week).

[dusang]

Ratings went down again, to 720,000 total viewers (from 770,000 last week).

 

Those numbers make almost no sense to me (I can't even tell which dates they are talking about) but it looks like Trevor is doing better than Conan.

Edited October 29, 2015 by dusang

[trow125]

I was shocked at how low Conan's numbers are!

Isn't ex-TDS Sam Bee's new talk show going to be airing on TBS? Wonder what time slot she'll be in? I hope she's not in the midnight slot after Conan. (I'm already recording @Midnight and "Late Show" then!)

[possibilities]

I thought the show was in repeats this week. Aren't ratings always lower during reruns?

 

Btw, Trevor was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. I don't know if it was a new interview or a rerun.

[trow125]

I thought the show was in repeats this week. Aren't ratings always lower during reruns?

 

Btw, Trevor was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night. I don't know if it was a new interview or a rerun.

These ratings are from last week, when there were new shows.

And yes, Trevor was on JKL and also on Ellen yesterday (I didn't catch either show).

[trow125]

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF "TREVOR NOAH: LOST IN TRANSLATION" DEBUTS WITH LIMITED COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 AT 10:00 P.M. ET/PT ON COMEDY CENTRAL®

NEW YORK, November 2, 2015 - Trevor Noah, the new host of "The Daily Show," debuts his one-hour stand-up special, "Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation," on Sunday, November 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. The premiere will air with limited commercial interruption and an encore will immediately follow at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

Filmed at The Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C., "Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation" brings Noah's unique world-view and global analysis of American culture to the forefront.

[jaytee1812]

No new episode tonight. Poor Trevor is in hospital.

https://twitter.com/thedailyshow/status/661981462581944325

[trow125]

I just got the upcoming-guest listings, and they still show a new ep for tomorrow. As someone who had an emergency appendectomy when I was about Trevor's age, I can't IMAGINE how he could be back at work tomorrow, but maybe he's stronger than I was!

[jaytee1812]

Yeah, they've said he'll be back tomorrow. I know it's not a physical job, but jings he's a tough one.

He must've been in pain last night surely?

[trow125]

He must've been in pain last night surely?

Not necessarily -- I was fine until the wee hours of the morning, was in surgery by noon. So it can come on pretty suddenly. It's a serious business and I'm glad Trevor got prompt medical attention. Maybe Jordan or Jessica will guest-host tomorrow night?

[VCRTracking]

When was 15 and had an appendicitis I had a stomach cramps.   Later at 3 AM I felt really acute pain around right side they knew it was my appendix and I went to the emergency room and was in surgery.

[Victor the Crab]

Get well, Trevor. But I'd be in utter shock if Trevor were to return to the anchor's desk tomorrow night. When they cut you open, remove a piece of you from your body, and sew you back up, I would imagine it would take a lot more than one day to completely recover.

 

Maybe Jordan or Jessica will guest-host tomorrow night?

 

Maybe Jon can pinch hit for Trevor (and slowleee backs away).

[SmithW6079]

Get well, Trevor. But I'd be in utter shock if Trevor were to return to the anchor's desk tomorrow night. When they cut you open, remove a piece of you from your body, and sew you back up, I would imagine it would take a lot more than one day to completely recover.

Isn't an appendectomy done laproscopically these days? If so, he was probably in and out.

[formerlyfreedom]

I dunno if he'll be up to it or not. One of my fellow volunteer mods here on the site just celebrated the one year anniversary of her emergency appendectomy due to a ruptured appendix. She was hospitalized for a week, and then restricted from flying for a few more days (it happened on her vacation!). She said if his didn't rupture, his recovery could be quicker than that, but still seems like he should just maybe relax the extra day and get someone to fill in...

[trow125]

Trevor Noah has cratered “The Daily Show”: He has no bite, no message — and has let Fox News off the hook
Jon Stewart created a national treasure. Noah has dulled its knife, weakened the satire, let the powerful run free

 

FFS, Noah has been on the air for just a few weeks. I think it's way too early to declare that political satire is dead because Trevor Noah is not Jon Stewart.

[Victor the Crab]

Well it is from Salon, where gnashing of teeth and rendering of garments because things don't go your way is SOP.

[purist]

The latest episode of the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast is Linda Holmes having an hour-long conversation with Trevor. I haven't listened to it yet, but Linda Holmes is great, so it should be good.

[angora]

I thought this interview was excellent. Trevor is so smart and thoughtful. I love how much he celebrates the way his life experiences have shaped him, his views, and his comedy, and his thoughts on creating diverse workplaces are wonderful. I was really interested in his explanation of the awkwardness of moving into John's office (coming fFROM a place where exposed brick means you're too poor to plaster your walls, coming TO a place where exposed brick has become a desig aesthetic.) His overall outlook - that we can and should fight again injustices/inequality, but that letting our anger consume us won't get to the root of the problem - is great.

[possibilities]

What's great is that, the more he talks, the more intelligent he seems. He's not just delivering canned bits he brought with him as armor, he's actually answering what he's asked!

[trow125]

Theme song news:

NEW YORK, January 4, 2016 - "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" is kicking off 2016 with a fresh version of its iconic theme song "Dog on Fire" which has been by produced by Timbaland and King Logan and mixed by Chris Godbey. It will premiere tonight when all-new episodes return at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.

 

"Dog on Fire" was originally written and performed by Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü, Sugar). It has been "The Daily Show's" theme song since the series inception in 1996 with host Craig Kilborn which was then re-recorded by the band They Might Be Giants shortly after Jon Stewart began his tenure in 1999. Now with Trevor Noah as host, this newest version of "Dog on Fire" is produced by the multi-talented team of Timbaland and King Logan and mixed Chris Godbey who have worked with everyone from Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z to Drake and Jennifer Hudson.

[possibilities]

Trevor's appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers the other day:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/892641#i0,p4,d0

His interview starts at around minute 17:30. We talked about this a little in the episode thread, but I watched it again today, and it's really fun, I thought. Trevor complimenting other men on their looks is so endearing to me, somehow. I love to see how the guys react to receiving this kind of attention.

Edited January 18, 2016 by possibilities

[angora]

Thanks for posting that, possibilities.  Super fun - Trevor and Seth had such an easy rapport with each other.  I liked them comparing notes on running late-night shows.  And yeah, I like Trevor's compliments too.  What I like is that, while it usually gets a laugh, he doesn't usually play it like he's doing it FOR a laugh (with obvious exceptions, like daydreaming on TDS about bouncing a quarter off of Paul Ryan's ass.)  To me, it just reads as feeling comfortable enough to compliment another man without fear of casting doubts on his masculinity or anything dumb like that.  The total opposite of "no homo" BS - I like that.

[nowandlater]

Thoughts?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cover_story/2016/01/why_america_isn_t_paying_attention_to_the_daily_show_with_trevor_noah_in.2.html

[trow125]

Why Are Americans Ignoring Trevor Noah?

Well, I'm not ignoring him... I find him delightful, and I was HIGHLY SKEPTICAL. Don't get me wrong, I loved Jon Stewart, but I'm kinda glad he's off on his farm in New Jersey this election season, instead of having to pay attention to Fox News and Donald Trump. Following Jon was an impossible task and I think Trevor's doing fine.

[trow125]

Thoughts?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cover_story/2016/01/why_america_isn_t_paying_attention_to_the_daily_show_with_trevor_noah_in.2.html

Wow, I JUST posted that over in the media thread! So you can find my (brief) comments there.

[mbutterfly]

Thoughts?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cover_story/2016/01/why_america_isn_t_paying_attention_to_the_daily_show_with_trevor_noah_in.2.html

I think he's amazing. I sometimes enjoy him more than JS. I like that little South African tilt on affairs American. 

[dusang]

Why Are Americans Ignoring Trevor Noah?

Well, I'm not ignoring him... I find him delightful, and I was HIGHLY SKEPTICAL. Don't get me wrong, I loved Jon Stewart, but I'm kinda glad he's off on his farm in New Jersey this election season, instead of having to pay attention to Fox News and Donald Trump. Following Jon was an impossible task and I think Trevor's doing fine.

 

Does Slate like anything?

[possibilities]

I agree that Trevor is not as angry as Jon, but I find his outsider perspective and the uptick in people of color interviewees to be huge improvements. Jon's show was great, but it was also in a rut. It was like "Fox Detox" every night. I've been taking Trevor's less scathing commentary to be humility rather than lack of commitment. He's too new here to bash us quite as hard as Jon did. Also, he's talked a lot about how his experience of being "colored" under Apartheid basically forced him to be extremely cautious and to separate himself from pain at times, just to survive. It's a luxury of being a white male ablebodied heterosexual middle class American that positioned Jon to be able to "act out" the way he did. I'm not saying Jon's not masterful at it, or that he didn't make good use of his voice. But asking Trevor to be an Angry Black Man right out of the gate, while minimizing the ways he's changed the show for the better in terms of making it less white male and America-dominant, is kind of tone deaf, if you ask me. Larry took a lot longer than Trevor to even make The Nightly Show tolerably watchable, and Johnny O is white and was here a long time before he got his own show. I think comparing Trevor to either of them is unfair. Trevor is dealing with both being the most targeted demographic young Black male and being a new immigrant AND being from South Africa, not the UK. He's also a new face, not a beloved veteran "correspondent" who "finally got promoted." I think if he had come out of the gate raving like Jon, angry and righteous and disgusted, that his ratings would be far worse. Tell me people wouldn't have called him arrogant and found him threatening. I would like to believe it, but I don't.

 

Also, if his demo ratings are the same as Jon's at this time last year, I think that is actually pretty impressive. I expected a much bigger drop when Jon left, to be honest. I thought at least a 50% drop. How much lower are Colbert's ratings than Letterman's? When you follow a legend, it doesn't matter what you do, you are going to face a lot of people thinking you are not as good as the person they grew up on, got used to, and are now nostalgic about.

 

Also, Jon being on a farm upstate almost made me tear up. It's a real farm, right? Where he can be with the other animals and enjoy the fresh air and be free? This isn't just a story they are telling us so we won't cry too long?

[ganesh]

I think the piece on Trump/African dictators came too soon in the run of the show. In light of Trump now, the piece would have torn up the media and really got people talking about the show. 

[Victor the Crab]

I like what Trevor has done for TDS. I wasn't sure I would when he took over from Jon, but he started to make a believer out of me when he made comparisons between Donald Trump and any African dictator. His accents are both brilliant and hysterical. If there's a downside, it's that he can't seem to be convincing as an authority figure to his correspondents the way Jon was, but that's not really Trevor's fault.

 

All in all, the show's in good hands with him.

[angora]

ITA that the article seems fairly dismissive of the new show's increased emphasis on race and doesn't really address the ways in which Trevor's race/nationality/age factor into how he'd be perceived compared to Jon even if he were doing the exact same things as Jon.  Mostly, though, it just baffles me. 

 

I know that entertainment is subjective, and comedy is perhaps especially so, but it seems absolutely bizarre that that writer has been watching the same show I have.  I frequently find myself HOWLING with laughter at the jokes, clips, and impressions, as well as wanting to applaud the sharpness of the commentary.  I don't get how someone could watch the exchange between Trevor and Hasan about Trump's proposed Muslim ban, the story on Obama's recent gun control speech, or the piece where Trevor compared ardent pro-lifers to comic book collectors who only value life "until you take it out of the wrapper," and honestly feel that Trevor isn't interested in saying anything important.  Yes, there's some silliness and some easy jokes, but to me, it's not remotely accurate to say that's what the show is about now.

 

As far as Trevor not being "angry" or "passionate" enough, I think he just goes about it in a different way.  My impression is that his style is much more about letting someone hang themselves rather than giving a call to hang them.  He tends to exposes hypocrisy - and, IMO, shows his anger about it - in subtler, more sarcastic ways.  The first example that comes to mind is when he broke down Ted Cruz's plan to "strategically" carpet-bomb ISIS, playing dumb in a series of affable jokes that demonstrated just how bullshit that claim was.  Or in the Flint water story, which the article mentioned as being rather unsubstantial and softball, he pointed out that the city's cost-saving measure involved switching to drinking water that eats through lead pipe.  After that, did he really have to come out and SAY that this was criminally irresponsible in order for us to understand how he felt about it?

[MrWhyt]

This just seems to be another in a line of articles complaining that Trevor's first year isn't as good as Jon's 17th year. The answer to that complaint is of course: no shit sherlock. it's a ridiculous comparison.

 

 

Also, Jon being on a farm upstate almost made me tear up. It's a real farm, right? Where he can be with the other animals and enjoy the fresh air and be free? This isn't just a story they are telling us so we won't cry too long?

Oh yes, Jon is running around playing with Dave and Jay and Craig.

[solotrek]

Also, Jon being on a farm upstate almost made me tear up. It's a real farm, right? Where he can be with the other animals and enjoy the fresh air and be free? This isn't just a story they are telling us so we won't cry too long?

 

They've partnered up with Farm Sanctuary to open the 4th location in New Jersey.

 

Here's the facebook page following their pigs Anna and Maybelle who were found along the highway in Georgia. The Stewart family often makes appearances.

 

Edit because it posted twice.

Edited January 26, 2016 by solotrek

[nodorothyparker]

Hand wringing seems to be what Slate does best these days.

 

The think pieces on why Trevor isn't Jon are really getting tiresome.  Of course he's not Jon.  Jon had been in the job something like 16 years.  It's a little hard to come out of the gate and immediately have the same gravitas after only a couple of months, especially when it seemed the first month or two was about trying to ease us into the transition so as not to spook the audience like a frightened horse.

 

Look, I loved Jon a lot.  But you could see that he was getting tired and in all honestly, there were more than a few episodes that felt like he and the staff hadn't really done a whole lot that day except turn on Fox and look for some bit of stupidity or hypocrisy to rage about.  And Fox is almost low-hanging fruit at this point anyway when you have primary candidates so insane they make you feel like you're being punked on an almost daily basis.

[LJonEarth]

In Twitter trouble again: The Daily Show Wrote an Idiotic Abortion Tweet and an Even More Idiotic Apology 

Perhaps it's because I hit peak Twitter-outrage sometime last fall, I just can't be bothered to be bothered.

Aimless joke? Yes.

Vile joke? I don't know, because I'm not sure that whomever wrote this knew what he/she was saying, which is sad.

I do love the Jon batted 1000 revisionist history going on down in the comment section.

Edited June 28, 2016 by LJonEarth

[formerlyfreedom]

Okay everyone - first, just remember, we're going to BE OKAY!

Jessica Williams Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ After Inking Development Deal

Quote

The Daily Show correspondent Jessica Williams is exiting the late-night show. Comedy Central announced her move this morning on Twitter.

 

I'm sad, but I'm happy for her - I think she'll do some great things, and I look forward to those!

[topanga]

23 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Okay everyone - first, just remember, we're going to BE OKAY!

Jessica Williams Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ After Inking Development Deal

 

I'm sad, but I'm happy for her - I think she'll do some great things, and I look forward to those!

At least I'll see her face now. She was horribly underutilized on this iteration of TDS. 

[Princess Sparkle]

25 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Okay everyone - first, just remember, we're going to BE OKAY!

Jessica Williams Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ After Inking Development Deal

 

I'm sad, but I'm happy for her - I think she'll do some great things, and I look forward to those!

You know, yesterday on her Snapchat, she had a video of a segment with a caption that said "One last time" so I've been preparing myself since yesterday.  So as sad as I am to lose her from the show, I'm happy she's moving on to better things.

[trow125]

7 minutes ago, topanga said:

At least I'll see her face now. She was horribly underutilized on this iteration of TDS. 

I feel like she'd already "moved on" a long time ago. She's obviously been busy with other things, like her weekly podcast (which I've listened to a few times, but I think I'm too old for it -- I'm a crusty old Gen X'er and the millennial-speak sets my teeth on edge).

[topanga]

26 minutes ago, trow125 said:

I feel like she'd already "moved on" a long time ago. She's obviously been busy with other things, like her weekly podcast (which I've listened to a few times, but I think I'm too old for it -- I'm a crusty old Gen X'er and the millennial-speak sets my teeth on edge).

That's possible, but I also think the show has become very male-dominated (maybe this belongs in the episode thread). For example, you mean to tell me that there were no female correspondents who were willing or able to do last night's segment on the Supreme Court's ruling on Texas abortion laws?

[LJonEarth]

6 hours ago, trow125 said:

I feel like she'd already "moved on" a long time ago. She's obviously been busy with other things, like her weekly podcast (which I've listened to a few times, but I think I'm too old for it -- I'm a crusty old Gen X'er and the millennial-speak sets my teeth on edge).

I thought I was alone! I'm 30, and have to skip past the parts with Jessica and her cohost on her podcast. The comedians feature are sometimes great though. I'm hoping her new shows is the Jessica from the DS and not the Jessica from the podcast.

[zxy556575]

I sincerely wish her the best and am interested to see what she comes up with, but a development deal can be development hell and making a pilot doesn't guarantee that it'll be picked up. It's probably 50/50 if she takes off or we never hear from her again.

[trow125]

I think the fact that she's doing it for Comedy Central should ensure it'll get on the air. She's a known quantity there and they've had several hits with young female comics like "Broad City" and Amy Schumer.

Edited June 30, 2016 by trow125

[trow125]

This is a fun story from the Huffington Post about TDS' theme song, complete with an ancient promo for the first episode featuring Jon Stewart. (Of course, I have to take issue with the clickbaity title of the piece because OF COURSE I "noticed" that TDS' theme song is called "Dog on Fire" and was written by Bob Mould. But I will admit that I never knew how the song got its name.)

[pivot]

I think the show has really started to click with the RNC coverage and the correspondents gelling. I come online and I am seeing tons of rumors of Noah and Whitmore's ratings being in a free fall and the shows being cancelled. Any truth in that? 

I have to think that ratings aren't all that important now that so many stream the shows instead of watching on tv but maybe that is factored in?

[attica]

So this reflects more on the Stewart era of the show, but since it's a current event, I'm putting it here. 

A dude who was interviewed by TDS in 2013 about the NC Voter ID law has hurt fee fees that his on-camera interview was cited by the 4th Circuit in their recent blistering takedown of that law: 

Quote

Specifically, he said that if the law “hurts a bunch of lazy blacks that want the government to give them everything, so be it.”

It continues to fascinate me (although it no longer surprises) how delighted people are to get a forum for racist (and other) asshattery, and then become shocked and outraged that they're seen by the viewing public as racist asshats.